I have always been a creature of impulses – going mostly by what my heart dictates and not my head with inevitable disastrous results. But there are times when things turn out quite unexpectedly successful even when you have not used an iota of rationality – I think it’s the law of averages …I mean there can only be so many calamitous outcomes without some being extraordinarily successful. But as usual I am digressing from the core to the periphery!

An unexpected three day weekend came our way (My best friend and mine) late Thursday evening. A three-day weekend at any cost is a rarity in the gulag that we both work in…so it was far too tempting to let go of this opportunity and spend it in mundane tasks like – electrical fittings (Our bell as well some lights have gone bust requiring some serious electrical rewiring), going to the library (my books are a week overdue) and visiting the parlour ( I hate going the parlour…yes I know I am a weirdo and all women love to indulge themselves but I do not like it and consider it a task that needs to be performed so that I can fit into the stereotypical idea of womanhood….said I was a weirdo)…Anyways this and grocery shopping (we are out of everything!) needed immediate attention and had I been a sane and rational creature, I would have gone ahead and completed my to dos. But instead my best friend and I quickly looked up weekend gateways and booked a room for two nights three days …all within 20 minutes of realising that we have a Friday off along with the weekend!

We left really early in the morning, making only one pit stop at McDonalds for a hurried breakfast and reached out destination in just under 7 hours of drive. Our destination was a 170 year old manor house nestled high up among the hills. (Read my earlier post – I LOVE MOUNTAINS!) The Manor built in very British colonial style is a huge affair of wood and red bricks with traditional and clichéd red tiled roofs, large French windows and fireplaces. It was owned by several illustrious personages who used it as a getaway before being turned into a private boutique hotel. Our room is an affair of oak and teak wood with some lovely woodwork and a magnificent view of the mountains. I believe the first viewing of the room is important and I fell in love with this room as I opened the balcony door and the mist from the mountains wafted in the room and I could catch the very clouds in my hands. You can spend hours looking out of the balcony or the windows to the distant mountains with the mist floating in and out sometimes covering and sometimes when the mist clears, you can see distinctly the view across the ridge where stand the red roofs and the white ionic columns of the local Christ Church Cathedral. Fortunately for us, there were not too many guests at this time of the year and we had the place pretty much to ourselves.

After a quick shower and sumptuous lunch, both my friend and I agreed that we have earned our right to a siesta after the long drive. Post the siesta, in the spirit of the place, we had high tea, after which we indulged in some completely mindless and bizarre television watching. I had previously mentioned that I do not own a television nor am I tempted to get one. When out on vacations I usually catch up with telly watching quota, but it just convinces me more and more that it’s a good thing that I do not have an idiot box! After a light dinner, we turned in really early…I mean back home I would never sleep at 23:00 hrs…not here…oh! Well

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Naturally I was up at 5:00, all fresh and active. It’s funny how I always struggle to get up on time to go to work but on vacations, my body seems to program itself to get up on time and do all things in a regular logical manner. Anyhow, I wanted my coffee, but this being an exclusive but a small establishment; I was told that the kitchen will be open only after 8:00 am. But when you get so early, your body requires sustenance and so I made myself some coffee from the electronic kettle with the coffee/tea ingredients that come in as complementary. After that, they day turned into a day in the life and time of Jane Austen heroines. I got up and got dressed. I wanted to go for a walk but it has rained constantly since yesterday so I kind of dumped the idea and instead explored the manor with its old furniture and some absolutely marvellous photographs and paintings. Following this I indulged in a hearty breakfast – again very English: Toast, baked beans, bacon and Eggs, coffee and juice. I love long and leisurely breakfasts and this meal turned out to be a pure pleasure. After breakfast, we read by the hour in the Manor Library and then moved to the parlour for some writing. In the afternoon, after a light luncheon, we went downtown and spent some time exploring the local locales and finished our promenade with yet another high tea. Back in the manor, we spent the evening reading and playing Mahjong (I know Austen was for card games, but let’s allow for some evolution!) Dinner was a 4 course affair and again it was an early to bed and early to rise affair! We left for the city after breakfast, bidding adieu to our much-loved and tranquil Regency lifestyle and embrace the life and times of the millennia….Sigh!!!! The upside, the drive was magnificent as the mist came down over the mountains and we literally rove through the clouds!